Monday, August 27, 2007

A total lunar eclipse will occur during the early morning hours on Tuesday. The eclipse will begin at 4:51 am EDT, with the total eclipse beginning at 5:52 am EDT. The end of the entire eclipse will occur at 8:22 am EDT but will not be visible in Indiana, as the moon will set at 7:14 am EDT. Interestingly, sunrise will occur at 7:09 am EDT, so both the moon in eclipse and the sun will be in the sky at the same time. (Note: Times referenced here are for Indianapolis. The time may vary slightly for other Indiana locations).

I like to think that I'm somewhat scientifically astute. But how can totality not end until 7:22 am (per the graphic on the link above)... AFTER sunrise? Wouldn't that mean that the sun and moon are not in a straight line from our perspective, if they're both in the sky? And if so, how can the eclipse still be total?